Young farmer's 'music therapy cultivation' helps trees grow better in Andhra

Hyderabad: Move over fertilisers and chemicals. Music works as effectively, says Kiran. It is time to include plants in the phrase "sisurvethi, pasurvethi, vethi gaana rasam phanihi (Even children, cows, and cobras are enraptured and enchanted on hearing the Nadhaswaram music rendered by virtuosos and maestros), according to him.

Chittibabu, a resident of Ravupalem in West Godavari district, bought 30 acres near the limits of Vijayanagaram and has been farming the land for the past 30 years. His son Kiran, in spite of his good education, showed a keen interest in farming.

They have been cultivating coconuts for the past 30 years. They also grow cocoa used to make chocolates. In order to get a high yield, the father-son duo decided to practice "music therapy cultivation".

"The music therapy cultivation has already been used in America. The reason behind this is, plants grow faster when they are grown with love. Just like animals, plants have the power to grasp the power of music. Using chemicals not only damages the land but also disturbs the growth of the people. We all know that cows and buffalos give more milk when they listen to music. Music therapy works the same for trees," said Andhra University professor Venkateshwar Rao.

Srinivas Rao of Saluru village said, "The speaker can be placed anywhere within the 30 acres. The music plays from morning 5 a.m to 8 a.m and then evening 5 p.m to 8 p.m. Usually, the yield is more when we turn on the music. This technique is being used only after it was successful in a few countries. This also helps the plants grow faster."